It's been an eventful month since Ultrakids: Next Generation premiered almost a month ago. I can't give away too much detail yet, but big things are on the horizon (not related to Ultrakids, unfortunately). I thought it'd be interesting to revisit old documents created several months ago when Ultrakids 6 was still in conceptual stage. The original title was going to be Mech Wars. Pretty funny, huh. That was when we were going to have huge robot battles in it.

What if Malcolm Hills was the mastermind behind everything bad that has happened to the Ultrakids so far?

He was the one who sent Mr. Bad Teeth and the Porkmiester to destroy the Ultrakids.He partnered with Doc Hong to create the Superkids.His right-hand man used to be Braedan until Braedan was arrested.

What does he want? Power. To take over the world (as usual, haha).

He was once on the board of directors of R.A.G.A.R. (Research of Advanced Genetics And Robotics). So was Over-the-Hill-Good-Guy/Fred Wong. Several Ultrakids, Laserboy, Invisigirl, and Sonicboy, were given their powers as infants there (similar to Hanna).

Malcolm was slowly gaining dominance in R.A.G.A.R., having great social influence on the other members of the board. He wanted to push the genetic research further, risking the infants lives in the process. OTHGG objected. He kidnapped the infants from the laboratory and adopted them as his own, starting the Ultrakids in a former orphanage in New York.

Ever since then, the Ultrakids have posed a threat to his plan for world domination.

He’s tried multiple times to destroy the Ultrakids, and has even tried to start his own version, the Superkids. When the Ultrakids began expanding with the Hero Camp program, he knew drastic action had to be taken.

Ever since Braedan kidnapped a student two years ago, Hero Camp attendance has decreased dramatically. Laserboy teaches at the deteriorating camp every summer, and he’s not very optimistic about it (although he tries to appear to be in front of the students). Things get worse when the Director must take an abrupt leave to the Board of Superheroes (B.S.), leaving Laserboy in charge.

“One day you’ll be on the board, and you’ll also have to respond to calls like this,” the Director says. “See you in (number of days the movies takes place in).”

Lines:Malcolm: (mockingly) You can’t win this fight you know.Laserboy: Might as well put one up.

Malcolm: You Ultrakids need to learn how to fit into the world, learn to survive. You don’t learn that by staying inside a having little tea parties inside your safe houses. You’re going to become adults one day. You must be prepared.

I’m kinda feeling a theme of purpose.

Gears is always complaining that the Ultrakids aren’t as good as the Superkids. The Superkids have better equipment, their programs are better run, etc. He’s only goes to Hero Camp because his parents helped fund the program when it first started. Eventually, he will have to make a decision. Is he part of the Ultrakids because his parents want him to or because he chooses to himself?

Nolan is the student leader at Hero Camp. He always has everything together, never loses his cool. Inside, he is deeply insecure. His confidences relies on others’ approval. After an ‘All Is Lost’ moment, he joins the Superkids, seeking more approval.

So there you have it. Pretty interesting to note that Gears was the first character created. I remember there being a point in development when Alyssa (my cousin) and I thought Gears was a wacky name and decided to get rid of that character. Luckily he somehow made his way into the final script with Gears being his nickname instead of his actual name.

Kellan's name was originally Secret. It has a funny origin, but wasn't necessary to the story. He was also going to be an orphan, but we decided it was a little too cliche.

Sasha also had alternate names, including Aria and Rachel. Her final name was a last minute suggestion by Alyssa, to which I said, "Sure."

Nolan obviously never made it into the final movie, but I have a feeling he might pop up again if we ever make another one.

Another thing we wanted to do was to explore the origins of the Ultrakids (as seen above). We probably would have if Laserboy had a main role in the story (instead of a cameo at the end). My brother Zach has played Laserboy in all the past movies, and we were planning on having him in it until he made the decision to go to Taiwan for a summer camp. Because of this, we had to film his cameo before the script was written, in order to actually include him in the movie.

At the very top of the document, you'll notice I have a list of things to improve. Now that I'm looking over it, I feel like we accomplished everything I had written (we meaning the entire Hero Camp crew and I). This is something I do every time I'm about to start a new movie project. In fact, I already have another list for the next one.

Hey, I'm blogging freestyle. Might as well let my thoughts loose. I do have a new movie project in mind. It's not Ultrakids 7. It's not even a superhero movie. It's a brand new, totally original idea which I'm super excited about. It's still on the drawing board, so everything's a little rough right now. But when I nail the script, it's going to be, without a doubt, my best work yet.

Hi Josh Jackson. I would like to thank you for making the sixth film. It may not be the most professional film, but it is definitely an improvement over the previous films, especially the first three films. I heard that there will be no more Ultrakids films.

I would like to put this request on your plate: after making some of your films, please consider rebooting the Ultrakids movies, so that they will have better scriptwriting, acting, cinematography, special effects (a small mixture of practical effects and digital effects), and many other things. Add some new elements to the plot and characters if possible.

A reboot? Haha, sounds like Hollywood! But actually, we already have ideas for Ultrakids 7. :) It probably won't get made for a while though.

Reply

Anonymous

11/27/2012 05:45:44 am

Hi Josh Jackson. I read your reply to my comment. You said the idea sounds like Hollywood. But let me make my case for a reboot of the series.

First, a reboot might improve the original series where it failed. For example, in the original Ultrakids films, the frights seemed like they were about to giggle; it didn't look like fright. Also, the special effects could use some actual effects to mix with the digital visual effects, adding to a sense of realism.

Second, since the actors have matured, they may do a better job at acting than they did before.

Third, the plot may be more developed than before, and you might add some things you thought of as time passed.

And finally, it might reach a new audience in a way the originals didn't. The acting in the original films may seem artificial to many, though to your credit, it improved as time passed by. It may also shed new light on some plot holes that may have existed in the originals.

Reboot sounds like a good idea! Maybe in a couple years as an animated TV show!
Unfortunately, I probably won't "reboot" the Ultrakids series anytime soon. I have too many new and better ideas to work on! Even though I love making Ultrakids movies, I have to leave my past behind...wow this is starting to sound like a movie in itself.